Council eyes new home in £5m civic building

3:00pm Friday 8th March 2013 in News

BICESTER Town Council could find a new home in a planned £5m civic building in the town centre.

Proposals have been put forward to move from Garth House into new building, which would be owned by Cherwell District Council.

Councillors have agreed to investigate the idea further. The district council has set aside £3.2m in next financial year and another £1.8m the year after that, to pay for the development. No plans have been submitted yet, but it would be constructed over Franklin’s Yard car park.

Cherwell previously said work on the civic building would start once phase one of the town centre redevelopment, a Sainsbury’s supermarket, cinema and shops, was complete this summer.

The civic building will house the district council and a new library, and three retail units.

Norman Bolster, Cherwell’s lead member for estates and the economy, said: “The plan is still to start as soon as we get Franklin’s Yard car park back from Sainsbury’s.”

A report for town councillors about Garth House claims that the current base is not fit for purpose.

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Comments(6)

Arkright says...
5:45pm Fri 8 Mar 13

Does it come with free parking ?

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CAMBERWELLCARROT says...
12:27pm Sat 9 Mar 13

Maybe our "eco-conscious" council would like to show the way by moving further down the Launton Road into one of the neglected empty buildings there?
Then have a residents vote on what should become of The Garth- sound like a plan?

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Nick Mawer says...
3:47pm Mon 11 Mar 13

Gents, this story is blown out of all proportion - must be a slow news week. I don't think that you could describe the talks as anything more than "exploratory". Councillors were very keen to make it known at the meeting that any move to any other venue would have to make economic sense. This would also be the case should a move to any other venue be considered. Clearly if any move is proposed, what happens to Garth House would also be of key importance.
One thing is for certain, at least because the roof is being replaced the Town Council and its tenants have the option of staying put.

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Arkright says...
8:04pm Mon 11 Mar 13

Cheers Nick, so if the Town Council stay put what will the £5m be spent on instead ?

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Arkright says...
8:07pm Mon 11 Mar 13

"Norman Bolster, Cherwell’s lead member for estates and the economy, said: “The plan is still to start as soon as we get Franklin’s Yard car park back from Sainsbury’s.”

A report for town councillors about Garth House claims that the current base is not fit for purpose."

But clearly if this part is true, they will be moving, so will it include free parking for councillors ?

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Nick Mawer says...
9:28am Tue 12 Mar 13

CDC are going to construct a building to house their local office and the library. The final design of the building is not yet complete, but will go ahead in some form or other, with or without the town council.
As clearly articulated in the Town Council meeting last night, that both Bicester Newspapers were present at, there remains a very real possibility that the Town Council will stay put, and that any talks with CDC were merely exploratory, on the basis that it would be remiss not to find out what was being offered.
So in response to your question about free parking, I can't answer that because I don't know, because the talks are exploratory. However, I understand why you asked the question, and I recognise that negotiating free parking for ourselves would be deeply unpopular, if everyone else has to pay, and I personally would not be able to support any such proposal. However, as I say the question is entirely hypothetical at the moment.

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